WrestleMania 39 lived up to its hype as the biggest event in professional wrestling. The highly-anticipated night culminated with Roman Reigns successfully defending his WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes in a highly competitive match.
WrestleMania 39 Highlights
Apart from Reigns’ successful defense, the Pay-Per-View event also featured some thrilling matches. A Hell in a Cell match saw Edge emerge victorious in a feud-ending bout against “The Demon” Finn Balor. Another highlight was the men’s Intercontinental championship match between Gunther, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus, which went down to the wire with Gunther retaining his title.
Bianca Belair put on another show-stopping performance to successfully defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Asuka. Brock Lesnar defeated Omos but lacked momentum swings throughout the match, while Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler won their women’s tag team match.
Snoop Dogg also added some entertainment with a brief match against The Miz.
Reigns vs. Rhodes
However, the most significant highlight of the night was Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. Reigns entered the ring as the favorite, although Rhodes had strong fan support at SoFi Stadium. Fans booed Reigns vociferously while applauding Rhodes after his loss.
Reigns got help from his allies during the fight, but credit must be given to Rhodes for putting up a remarkable fight. The drama heightened by Solo Sikoa managing to sneak back in and cost Rhodes the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns’ Wrestling Career and Storyline
This victory only adds another feather to Roman Reigns’ cap as he continues his dominance in WWE for over 945 days, marking it one of the most extended reigns in WWE history. Reigns recently spoke about his career and the evolution of his character.
Reigns’ storyline currently involves forming a group called The Bloodline, with Reigns positioned as the Tribal Chief, Jimmy and Jey Uso, and others as members. This storyline has become one of the most compelling WWE angles in years; Reigns sends his family out to weaken his opponents before his title defense.
The Bloodline’s next phase seemed to feature Cody Rhodes finally prevailing over Reigns, leading to Reigns’ Bloodline crumbling, but he managed to defend his championship successfully against Rhodes.
Reigns credits legendary manager Paul Heyman as the glue that makes his gimmick work. He also believes he is a better competitor and performer now than during his Shield days, picking The Bloodline over The Shield in a hypothetical matchup.
WWE’s long-term storytelling has become a lynchpin of the new regime’s wrestling entertainment, although Vince McMahon remains a wildcard as he inches closer to a creative return.
With Roman Reigns continuing as WWE’s Undisputed Universal champion after WrestleMania 39, it seems that WWE will remain focussed on their milestones.
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